A Midsummer Night's Dream 1983

Valerio Adami's A Midsummer Night's Dream is, well, a dream! The artist’s clear, sharp outlines give it the feel of a graphic novel. It’s like he’s constructing an alternate reality, where color is laid down flat and shapes become simplified symbols. I love the tension between the smoothness of the surface and the cartoonish quality of the forms, particularly the exaggerated face of the figure. The juxtaposition of the colors, like the bold yellow ground against the deep red sky, creates a visual vibration, a subtle unease. The dog pulling at the man's leg; it feels like a direct tug on our attention. It makes me think of David Hockney, another artist who isn't afraid to use vibrant colors and flattened perspective to create his own world. Ultimately, it is this embrace of the strange and unexpected that makes art such a powerful tool for exploring the complexities of human experience.